If people pass on enough incorrect information out there, you start to believe it. When I worked at that semi-prestigious law firm (sorry, Lois), we had a litigation partner that everyone told me was excellent. Being a naïve associate, I took their word.

I was told that he only picked cases that were sure wins. So when I had a personal litigation matter, I reached out. Rather than politely declining the case, he was really rude about it. Needless to say that after many years later and reviewing some of the cases since I left the firm, this litigator only picked winning cases because he had a poor track record in the close cases.

When it comes to working with other providers, make sure any recommendations come with something more than just fluff., If someone tells you how a provider is so good, they should be able to verify how good they are. Referrals and recommendations you get, need to be concrete because the last thing you need is to depend on a “superstar” who belongs on the bench.